Siege of Florence (1494)

The Siege of Florence (1494) was a siege of the Italian War of 1494-98 involving the besieging army of France and the garrison of Florence. The French army of King Charles VIII of France succeeded in conquering the capital of the Republic of Florence, and it exterminated the populace of the city to quell any dissent in the city.

Background
In 1494, King Charles VIII of France invaded Italy with the goal of claiming the Kingdom of Naples. Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan promised to support the French, but the Republic of Florence failed to choose sides. Charles' advisers found it imperative that he send a message to demand free passage, and that he should also consider that the supply of his troops in foreign countries was expensive. Charles decided to ask for a tribute of 5,000 florins as a sign of Florence's goodwill. The Florentines rejected Charles' offer, and the signoria called the Florentines to arms, with the people of the city preparing for its defense. To cross the Arno River, the French had to either take Pisa or Florence and, if they did not want to march to the south with an enemy in the rear, the French had to conquer Florence. Soon, Charles had completed all preparations and was ready for the march on the city. Charles decided to inflict what he saw as a "just punishment" on Florence for its arrogance, and he besieged the city with an army of 1,267 troops. The city was defended by Piero de Medici's army of 589 troops, plus Paolo Vitelli's 204 reinforcing troops.

Siege
The French army was augmented by heavy cannon, rendering a lengthy siege moot. The French army proceeded to launch an assault on the city of Florence, blasting the gates with the cannon and breaching the Florentine defenses. The French proceeded to charge into the breach, where they were met by the two Florentine generals themselves. Piero de Medici was wounded, while Vitelli was killed. The demoralized and leaderless Florentine forces soon found themselves being overwhelmed, and the scattered Florentine troops retreated towards the piazza, where they made their final stand against the French. The French used a strategy of sending all of their units to charge the Florentine unit farthest away from them; this would allow for the Florentine units in between to be swamped by superior numbers and overwhelmed. The Florentine defenders fought to the death, with only a few surviving to be taken prisoner.

Aftermath
The 169 Florentine prisoners were ransomed for 1,395 florins, with King Charles showing mercy to them. However, this move was solely a pragmatic move, as he needed funds to pay for his armies. He showed his true colors when he ordered the massacre of 5,197 of Florence's inhabitants and the looting of 2,572 florins from the city, and his forces razed much of the city. The submission of Florence was just the first of many battles that France would have to fight with Florence, however, as Florence still controlled Fivizzano in northern Italy and Arezzo to the southeast.